A man who stole a multitude of charity collection tins was jailed for 12 months last Thursday (24).

Keith McGuire, 44, of Hopkins Crescent in Sandridge, was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court for theft and attempted burglary.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of theft and two counts of attempted burglary after he stole various items from pubs between October and November this year.

His first offence saw him take a collection pot for the National Autistic Society and an Alzheimer’s Charity tin from the Farmer’s Boy on London Road on October 13.

He then took a Cancer Research collection tin from the St Albans Snooker Club in London Road on October 14.

Next was a Poppy Appeal collection, which was taken from The Saint bar in Upper Dagnell Street on October 21.

On October 30 the Royal British Legion collection tin was stolen from The Mermaid Pub in Hatfield Road.

The Green Man pub at High Street, Sandridge, was the next location to be targeted by the thief, and a Samaritans collection pot was taken alongside a Marie Curie Cancer Care tin between November 15 and November 18.

Macmillan Cancer Support was the next charity to fall victim when a tin was taken by McGuire from the Blackberry Jack pub in St Brelades Place, Jersey Farm in St Albans.

PC Iftakhar Iqbal, from the St Albans Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “This is a fantastic result and an example of how robustly prolific thieves are dealt with if they continue to offend. I hope it is of some comfort to the victims to see justice being done.”